(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) The minerals deal that gives the US access to Ukraine’s natural resources will count future US military aid as a contribution to a joint investment fund, suggesting the agreement could increase US weapons shipments to Ukraine.
According to the text of the agreement, once it goes into effect, if the US “delivers new military assistance to the Government of Ukraine in any form (including the donation of weapons systems, ammunition, technology or training), the capital contribution of the US Partner will be deemed to be increased by the assessed value of such military assistance.”
The deal only counts future military aid as a contribution to the fund and does not reimburse the US for previous US assistance. President Trump initially demanded that the US get hundreds of billions of dollars back for weapons sent by the Biden administration.
In another sign that US weapons shipments to Ukraine could ramp up, the administration notified Congress on Tuesday, the day before the minerals deal was signed, that it was going forward with its first arms sale to Ukraine.
The administration said in a notification that it planned to authorize the export of “defense articles, including technical data, and defense services” to Ukraine in the amount of $50 million or more. The notification provided no information about the potential deal.
According to the Kyiv Post, the weapons deal is being done as a direct commercial sale (DCS), which is when the State Department gives a private company permission to sell weapons directly to a foreign government. Under US arms export laws, the administration is required to notify Congress of a DCS sale of “defense articles” if it’s worth $50 million or more, meaning the actual sale could be worth more.
While the Trump administration hadn’t previously approved new arms deals for Ukraine, it has continued weapons shipments to the country that were approved under President Biden. The shipments were briefly paused after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s contentious Oval Office meeting, but were quickly resumed after more talks between US and Ukrainian officials.
The minerals deal, which still needs to be ratified by Ukraine’s parliament, comes as a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia seems unlikely. US officials have said they will walk away from the negotiations if an agreement isn’t reached soon.
It’s unclear if the Trump administration would continue funding the proxy war if negotiations fail, but the terms of the minerals deal and the movement on a US arms sale to Ukraine suggest that it will.
The report from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas said DOGE-related actions lead all job cut reasons in 2025 with 283,172, 2,919 of which occurred in April. Another 6,945 cuts were attributed to “DOGE Downstream Impact” through April, primarily at nonprofits and education organizations. These combined (290,117) make up 48% of all job cuts announced so far in 2025, according to the report.
“Though the Government cuts are front and center, we saw job cuts across sectors last month,” Andrew Challenger, senior vice president and workplace expert for Challenger, Gray & Christmas. “Generally, companies are citing the economy and new technology. Employers are slow to hire and limiting hiring plans as they wait and see what will happen with trade, supply chain, and consumer spending.”
The vast majority of the DOGE-related cuts were from March, according to the report.
After DOGE, market and economic conditions were cited for 95,348 job cuts, as economic uncertainty, consumer spending, and trade challenges hit U.S. companies, according to the report. Tariffs were cited for 1,413 cuts so far this year, with 1,350 occurring in April. Restructuring accounted for 67,627, and 60,551 were due to store, unit or location closing.
When Trump created DOGE, he said it would be the government cost-cutting equivalent of the “Manhattan Project.” Both Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk promised Americans would get a more efficient government after DOGE addressed government waste, reduced regulations, and reduced the federal workforce.
Many of the DOGE-led cuts in government face legal challenges from unions and other groups. Many of those same cuts remain in limbo as pending court cases continue.
The Challenger report comes as Musk steps back from government work to focus more on Tesla.
Musk initially said DOGE would aim to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget, but he later cut that in half. At a Cabinet meeting in April, Musk said DOGE was on pace to cut $150 billion from the federal budget.
The U.S. government employs about 2.4 million federal workers, excluding the military (about 1.3 million active-duty military personnel) and U.S. Postal Service (about 600,000 employees), according to 2024 Pew Research report. That report noted that the federal government employed 1.87% of the entire civilian workforce. That percentage includes postal employees, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
(Headline USA) Hip-hop impresario Sean “Diddy” Combs once presided like a prince over his White Parties in the Hamptons, attracting A-list celebrities, gossip columnists and photographers. But at a trial starting Monday, prosecutors will cast the entertainer as a criminal sexual deviant who exploited his fame to abuse women at gatherings held far out of public view.
For over two decades, prosecutors allege, the Bad Boy Records founder used the power and prestige he’d gained in building a hip-hop empire to destroy young lives.
He faces an indictment that includes descriptions of “Freak Offs,” drugged-up orgies in which women were forced to have sex with male sex workers while Combs filmed them.
Numerous witnesses have come forward to accuse Combs of terrorizing people into silence by choking, hitting, kicking and dragging them, often by the hair, prosecutors say. Once, the indictment alleges, he even dangled someone from a balcony.
Combs’ lawyers contend prosecutors are trying to police consensual sexual activity.
And while Combs, 55, has acknowledged one episode of violence — the caught-on-camera beating of his former girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie — his lawyers say other allegations are false.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday at a federal courthouse in Manhattan. Testimony will likely start the following week.
If convicted on all charges, which include racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transporting people across state lines to engage in prostitution, Combs faces a possible sentence of decades in prison.
Investigation followed Cassie lawsuit
Although dozens of men and women have alleged in lawsuits that Combs abused them, this trial will highlight the claims of four women.
One of them is Cassie, who filed a lawsuit in late 2023 saying Combs had subjected her to years of abuse, including beatings and rape after they met in 2005.
The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, did.
Her lawsuit, which offered the first public account of the Freak Offs described in the indictment, was settled in a day. Four months later, though, federal investigators raided Combs homes in Los Angeles and Miami and confronted him at a private airport in Florida, seizing 96 electronic devices. They also found three AR-15-style rifles with defaced serial numbers.
The three-time Grammy winner was indicted last September. He has since been held in a federal jail in Brooklyn after judges ruled that he would be a threat to intimidate witnesses and victims if released.
The 17-page indictment against Combs accuses him of using employees of his business endeavors — including record labels, a recording studio, an apparel line, an alcoholic spirits company, a marketing agency, a television network and a media company — to facilitate his crimes through acts that included kidnapping, arson and bribery.
Prosecutors plan to show jurors travel records, text messages and emails, hotel records and videos to supplement testimony and support their claims about what they call “Freak Off activity.”
Jurors will also see security camera video showing Combs punching, kicking and then dragging Cassie in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.
After the video aired on CNN last year, Combs apologized, saying, “I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now.”
Defense says Freak Offs were consensual
Combs’ attorney, Marc Agnifilo, said at a bail hearing that Combs wrote “a very large check” to Cassie after she filed her lawsuit. The lawyer said the payout motivated others to come forward with false claims.
Agnifilo said Combs was “not a perfect person” and that there had been drug use and toxic relationships, but he said the rapper was undergoing therapy before his arrest.
He said Cassie and Combs were in a 10-year relationship that was “very loving at times” and sometimes chose to bring a third person into their intimacy.
“That was their thing,” he said. “It was a sought-after, special part of their relationship.”
The trial is not Combs’ first. In 2001, he was acquitted of bringing an illegal handgun into a crowded Manhattan dance club where three people were wounded by gunfire. A rapper in Combs’ entourage, Jamal Barrow, who performed under the name Shyne, was convicted in the shooting and served nearly nine years in prison.
At a pretrial conference Thursday, Combs confirmed to a judge that he turned down a plea offer that would have carried a lesser penalty than what he might face if he is convicted at his upcoming trial.
Just before he left the courtroom after the hearing, he defiantly shook his fist in the air.
(Will Porter, Antiwar.com) A ship carrying supplies bound for the Gaza Strip was attacked by Israeli drones in international waters on Friday, according to the activist group that organized the flotilla. The vessel reportedly took at least one direct hit to its hull and sustained damage from fire, forcing its crew to issue an urgent call for help.
Organizers with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) said one of their vessels was attacked by an unidentified drone in the early hours of Friday morning, noting the ship was not far off the coast of Malta when it was hit.
“At 00:23 Maltese time, the Conscience, a Freedom Flotilla Coalition ship, came under direct attack in international waters,” the group said in a press release. “Armed drones attacked the front of an unarmed civilian vessel twice, causing a fire and a substantial breach in the hull. [. . .] The drone strike appears to have deliberately targeted the ship’s generator, leaving the crew without power and placing the vessel at great risk of sinking.”
An FFC spokesperson, Caoimhe Butterly, later told Reuters that the ship was struck en route to Malta, where it was scheduled to pick up other activists, among them climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and retired US Army Colonel Mary Ann Wright. The group said it had arranged the aid shipment “under a media black out to avoid any potential sabotage.”
Greta Thunberg reacts to Israel's drone strike against her aid ship as it was heading to Gaza
The FFC also shared footage which allegedly shows the aftermath of the strike, with smoke and flames seen on the ship. At one point in the brief video, an apparent explosion can be heard.
In a second press release, the group later shared a photo of the damage sustained in the strike.
Maltese authorities said they received an SOS call from a vessel in international waters soon after midnight local time, adding that a nearby tugboat assisted the ship, according to Reuters. Officials added that the crew of the Conscience declined to board the tugboat, and also confirmed to CNN that the fire on the ship had been extinguished. No casualties have been reported in the attack.
The FFC press release added that “Israeli ambassadors must be summoned and answer to violations of international law, including the ongoing blockade [on Gaza] and the bombing of our civilian vessel in international waters.”
In a social media post early on Friday, the United Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, said she “received a distressed call from the people of the Freedom Flotilla that is carrying essential food and medicine to the starving Gaza population.”
“I call on concerned state authorities, including maritime authorities, to support the ship and its crew as needed. I trust the competent authorities will also ascertain the facts and intervene appropriately,” she added.
The Israeli military has yet to comment on the incident, but said it was looking into reports about the attack, according to the BBC. Israel’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Reuters.
The FFC mission aimed to bring supplies to Gaza some two months into a heightened blockade by Tel Aviv, whose forces have leveled much of the territory in air and ground operations in response to Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. On Friday, the International Committee of the Red Cross saidaid operations in Gaza were on the verge of “total collapse” thanks to the blockade.
In 2010, a similar humanitarian aid flotilla organized by the Free Gaza Movement and the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief, a Turkish org, was attacked by Israeli forces in international waters. Nine people were killed in the assault, with another later dying of their injuries, while dozens more were wounded. A UN report later found that all 10 activists had sustained gunshot wounds, and added that “the circumstances of the killing of at least six of the passengers were in a manner consistent with an extra-legal, arbitrary and summary execution.”
Will Porter is assistant news editor and book editor at the Libertarian Institute, and a regular contributor at Antiwar.com. Find more of his work at Consortium News and ZeroHedge.
(José Niño, Headline USA) “The masters of the universe are Jews!” declared former U.S. Senator Norm Coleman, as reported by Chris Menahan of Information Liberation.
At the Jewish News Syndicate’s international policy summit in Jerusalem last month, the former Republican Senator of Minnesota gave a speech about Israel’s struggle to maintain a positive image among younger Americans, particularly “Generation Z,” which increasingly view Israel in a hostile light.
Coleman, who is currently the chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition and a longtime pro-Israel advocate, lamented that while 85% of baby boomers support Israel, the majority of Gen Z does not.
This observation was backed by polling data, including a recent Pew Research poll finding that 53% of Americans now express an unfavorable opinion of Israel.
He attributed this shift in opinion toward Israel largely to the digital media landscape, where platforms like TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) dominate information consumption. “We’re losing the digital war,” Coleman proclaimed, urging Jewish leaders in control of the technology sector to leverage their influence to change the narrative.
Highlighting prominent Jewish tech figures such as OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, and WhatsApp founder Jan Koum, Coleman argued that Jewish innovation in technology offers a unique opportunity.
“We have to get our digital sneakers on so that the truth can prevail over the lies,” he said, emphasizing that winning this digital battle is crucial for Israel’s future support in America.
This event featured numerous high-profile speakers, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The summit was billed as addressing “Israel’s pressing strategic issues.” Government officials, diplomats, policymakers, security experts, and leaders from pro-Israel organizations convened to discuss Israel’s evolving challenges and strategic opportunities in the aftermath of October 7.
Beyond his role with the Republican Jewish Coalition, Coleman has worked as a lobbyist for various foreign interests, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He has long been involved in pro-Israel advocacy and is described as an “archetypal neoconservative” who started his political career as a Democrat before switching to the Republican Party.
It remains unclear whether Jewish tech leaders will rally behind Coleman’s vision, but the digital fight over Israel’s image is pivotal and may shape how the Jewish state is perceived for future generations.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
(José Niño, Headline USA) Earlier this week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order mandating that commercial truck drivers demonstrate proficiency in English to operate on U.S. roadways.
The order, which rescinds Obama-era policies that relaxed enforcement of language requirements, directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to develop stricter testing protocols and penalize non-compliant drivers by taking them “out-of-service,” according to a report by The Hill.
The administration frames the mandate as a critical safety measure. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy cited fatal crashes linked to drivers’ inability to read road signs or communicate with officials, including a 2019 accident where a trucker traveling 100 mph ignored warning signs, killing four people, and a 2025 West Virginia crash involving a driver requiring an interpreter post-collision.
"On behalf of America's Truck Drivers, we, the founders of American Truckers United, extend our heartfelt gratitude to President Donald Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy for the executive order mandating English proficiency for all truck drivers and addressing the… pic.twitter.com/grnkiJ1BLg
“Federal law is clear, a driver who cannot sufficiently read or speak English—our national language—and understand road signs is unqualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle in America. This commonsense standard should have never been abandoned,” Duffy stated.
Trade groups, including the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), supported the executive order.
“OOIDA and the 150,000 truckers we proudly represent strongly support President Trump’s decision to resume enforcement of English proficiency requirements for commercial drivers,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer declared in a statement. “Basic English skills are essential for reading critical road signs, understanding emergency instructions, and interacting with law enforcement.”
According to the law firm JacksonLewis, Trump’s order overturns a 2016 Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) directive that halted penalties for language violations, a policy critics claim eroded safety standards.
Under the new rules, inspectors will enforce 49 C.F.R. 391.11(b)(2), requiring drivers to read signs, converse with officials, and document incidents in English. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) will implement “out-of-service” criteria by June 25, 2025, to meet Trump’s 60-day deadline.
The mandate follows Trump’s March 2025 executive order designating English as the nation’s official language.
The message from the White House is clear — no English, no keys.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Hunter Biden, the embattled son of disgraced former President Joe Biden, has dropped his longshot lawsuit against the two IRS whistleblowers who exposed how the federal government shielded him from criminal scrutiny for years.
Filed in 2023, the lawsuit claimed IRS agents Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler had leaked damaging information to embarrass him. But the suit was based on claims detached from reality.
In a statement, the whistleblowers condemned the now-dropped suit as a desperate attempt by Hunter to silence them.
“It’s always been clear that the lawsuit was an attempt to intimidate us,” Shapley and Ziegler said, according to the New York Post. “Intimidation and retaliation were never going to work. We truly wanted our day in court to provide the complete story, but it appears Mr. Biden was afraid to actually fight this case in a court of law after all.”
They added, “His voluntary dismissal of the case tells you everything you need to know about who was right and who was wrong.”
As reported by the Post, the voluntary dismissal comes weeks after Hunter attorneys—Abbe David Lowell, Christopher Man, David Kolansky and Isabella Oishi—withdrew from the case.
Shapley and Ziegler first made national headlines when they told CBS News in 2023 that the Biden-led DOJ slow-walked a criminal investigation into Hunter’s tax and business dealings.
According to their testimony, then-Attorney General Merrick Garland was the final decision-maker in the Hunter case, despite previous claims that then-U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss had full independence “to prosecute any way in which he wanted to and in any district in which he wanted to.”
The whistleblowers also revealed that DOJ investigators blocked IRS agents from probing potential foreign agent violations. What’s worse, they alleged that prosecutors allowed multiple statutes of limitations to expire.
After years of delays, Hunter was eventually charged with making false statements about drug use on a federal gun form and with willfully failing to pay millions of dollars in taxes.
He never faced charges over his controversial overseas business ventures or what Republicans have long described as an “influence-peddling scheme.”
Hunter was found guilty on the gun charge and pleaded guilty to tax violations. He was ultimately pardoned by his father, who became the first president in U.S. history to exploit his pardon powers to shield his son from criminal accountability.
The cover-up did not end there.
Biden also pardoned all his siblings and their spouses for any criminal conduct committed over the last 11 years.
Meanwhile, Shapley and Ziegler were promoted after President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20, 2025.
Shapley now serves as deputy chief for IRS Criminal Investigation, while Ziegler was appointed a senior adviser for IRS reform in the Treasury Department.
(Money Metals News Service) On the Money Metals podcast, host Mike Maharrey interviewed James “Jim” Grant—founder of Grant’s Interest Rate Observer—for a sharp, historically grounded discussion on inflation, interest rates, and the fragile state of American fiscal credibility.
Jim Grant is one of the most respected financial historians and market analysts of our time. With over four decades of experience, he has built a reputation for rigorous, contrarian insight through his publication, Grant’s Interest Rate Observer, which has been dissecting bond markets and central bank policy since 1983. He is also the author of several widely acclaimed books on finance and economic history, and a longtime critic of monetary excess and government debt.
When asked what the Fed should do in today’s monetary gridlock, Grant replied bluntly:
“They should resign.”
Markets are anticipating rate cuts—evidenced by the 2-year Treasury yield falling below 3%—but the Fed is holding the federal funds rate above 4%. Grant agrees with their caution. Inflation is not, in his view, under control.
Drawing on different schools of thought, he cited:
Milton Friedman: “Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon.”
John Cochrane: [Inflation is a fiscal phenomenon.]
The Fed: [Inflation is driven by public expectations.]
But Grant adds another constant: war.
Armed conflict, he warns, reliably fuels inflation by driving both public spending and monetary expansion. With tensions around Taiwan and rising geopolitical risks, this pressure may be just beginning.
Money Supply and Speculative Signals
Money supply began rising again around mid-2023—a classic early sign of inflation. But Grant cautioned that the effects might not show up first in consumer prices.
Instead, speculative excess—crypto, asset bubbles, meme stocks—can signal inflation before CPI or PCE respond. Grant cited a mid-century German economist who described inflation as “the straining of the economy’s productive apparatus.”
That, he said, captures the real dynamic.
He also pointed to the cultural embrace of “something for nothing”—a meme that feeds unsustainable fiscal and monetary habits.
What’s a “Normal” Interest Rate?
Asked what constitutes a “normal” rate, Grant gave a historical benchmark: 6%.
That was the post-Revolutionary figure used by Alexander Hamilton when consolidating U.S. war debt. For decades, 5–6% was standard for high-quality debt in America.
In modern times, yields rose throughout the 1960s and 1970s, culminating in 1981, when long-term Treasury yields peaked at around 15%. That marked the top of a 35-year bond bear market—a period from 1946 to 1981 when rates climbed steadily.
Then came a reversal few expected: a 40-year bond bull market from 1981 to 2020, with interest rates falling year after year.
At its peak, this bull run produced a global financial anomaly: by 2020, $18 trillion in bonds worldwide yielded less than 0%. Investors were literally paying governments to hold their money.
But to Grant, this wasn’t the new normal—it was the exception that proves the rule.
Are We in a New Bear Market for Bonds?
Yes, Grant believes we are—and the cycle may last decades.
Historically, bond markets follow generational rhythms. From the late 1800s through the mid-1900s, interest rates followed multi-decade waves of decline and ascent.
The pattern:
1946–1981: A long bear market in bonds, with rising rates.
1981–2020: A historic bull market in bonds, with falling rates.
Post-2021: The start of a new bear cycle—likely slow, but persistent.
The inflection point came between 2020 and 2021, when 30-year Treasuries dipped below 1%, even as the Fed continued targeting 2% inflation.
To Grant, that was a clear warning: yields were irrationally low, and the cycle was about to turn.
Now, he says, we’re entering a slow climb. Rates may rise gradually, but the multi-decade trend is no longer in investors’ favor.
Debt, Tariffs, and the Erosion of Public Credit
Recent market reactions reveal deeper trouble. During stock selloffs tied to tariff uncertainty—announced, reversed, then re-announced—long-term Treasuries failed to rally. Even the dollar showed weakness.
That’s a red flag, Grant warned. Treasuries, once a dependable safe haven, are beginning to lose their traditional appeal. According to Grant, the bond market’s muted response to tariff-induced volatility shows we are no longer in the environment investors grew accustomed to over the past 40 years.
He also warned that tariffs can be inflationary—raising the cost of goods and shrinking supply chains—while simultaneously undermining market confidence. If tariffs persist or escalate amid already strained global trade dynamics, they could further destabilize both prices and investor sentiment.
But the greater threat, in Grant’s view, is America’s unrelenting debt binge. The U.S. public debt now exceeds 120% of GDP, and there’s no sign of serious fiscal restraint. Even during brief attempts at tightening, the underlying growth of debt continues largely unabated.
He cited troubling proposals from economist Zoltan Pozsar and Trump advisor Steven Moore suggesting the U.S. alter the terms of outstanding bonds—reducing coupon payments or stretching maturities as a way to ease the government’s balance sheet burden.
On Wall Street, this is euphemistically called a “liability management exercise.” In practice, Grant warned, it’s a breach of good faith—a subtle but profound erosion of public credit.
He tied this back to Alexander Hamilton’s Report on Public Credit (1790), where Hamilton wrote that national prosperity rests on the perceived integrity of government obligations. Proposals to forcibly rework bond terms—even if walked back—undermine the very trust on which the U.S. financial system is built.
Grant believes that a combination of reckless spending, aggressive trade policies, and a growing willingness to treat creditors as adversaries may soon shatter the illusion of American fiscal credibility.
If investors lose faith in the U.S. government’s commitment to honoring its debts, the result won’t just be rising inflation—it could mark the unraveling of the global bond market as we know it.
“What Did You Expect?”
Grant wrapped with a baseball anecdote.
After a light-hitting player smashed a water cooler in frustration, pitcher Bob Gibson pointed to the guy’s .231 batting average and deadpanned: “What did you expect?”
That, Grant said, is where we are now.
With gross federal debt over 120% of GDP, a currency backed by nothing, and a Congress addicted to spending, a financial reckoning should surprise no one.
If inflation accelerates, if bond yields soar, if public trust erodes—Grant’s message is simple:
What did you expect?!
Closing Summary
Jim Grant’s interview was a sharp warning wrapped in historical context.
He believes the bond market has entered a new secular bear phase—one that could last decades, much like previous interest rate cycles. Inflation, he argues, is not under control and may emerge in unpredictable ways, including through asset bubbles, monetary excess, and geopolitical shocks.
You can find Jim Grant on his website, GrantsPub.com, or his X (formerly Twitter) @GrantsPub.
Grant didn’t name specific alternatives, but the message between the lines was unmistakable: U.S. Treasuries are no longer the safe haven they once were. The traditional reliance on government debt for long-term stability has been undermined by fiscal irresponsibility and monetary distortion.
That’s why now—more than ever—is the time to own real money.
Unlike bonds, which carry inflation and counterparty risk, physical gold and silver remain time-tested stores of value. They aren’t promises—they’re assets. In times of monetary chaos and debt-driven uncertainty, gold and silver provide the security fiat currencies and paper debt simply can’t.
(Ken Silva, Headline USA) The man who was fired for wearing his company’s hat to the deadly July 13 Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania has reached a settlement with his employer.
The rallygoer, Clarence Stamm, was an employee of Iron Mountain—a government contractor and information management company that has an underground storage location in Butler County for vital records, data centers, and “other sensitive assets,” according to its website.
While working on this story, I learned today that government contractor Iron Mountain has a subterranean facility in Butler County that holds government records and other "sensitive assets." They have a video about it here: https://t.co/BvdIJFQov0pic.twitter.com/qPGxiTyH2k
In his lawsuit, Stamm said he told his supervisor at Iron Mountain ahead of time that he was going to the Butler rally.
After the rally—where a gunman shot Donald Trump’s ear, killed a firefighter and seriously wounded at least two others—Stamm said he texted his supervisor to let him know that he was OK.
On July 18, Iron Mountain emailed Stamm to let him know he’s fired.
“To recap, leadership became aware of you wearing an Iron Mountain logo’d visor to a political rally on 7/13/2024 when you texted the following picture and caption to your Supervisor: ‘I’m fine Keith. Did you see I made it on Fox News wearing my Iron Mountain sun visor!!!,” the email stated.
“Clarence, this behavior is considered unprofessional and unacceptable and in direct violation of Iron Mountain policies … Therefore, your employment is terminated effective July 12, 2024.”
Stamm, who worked for Iron Mountain for 10 years and holds a security clearance, said he was “shocked” at the email.
“Plaintiff’s employment with Iron Mountain was terminated because Defendant and its agents did not like the fact that Plaintiff attended the Rally to support President Trump and his MAGA agenda while wearing Defendant’s Promotional Merchandise,” Stamm said in his lawsuit—noting that Iron Mountain has actively encouraged employees to wear company logos, including to LGBT pride events.
The man who was fired for wearing his company’s hat to the deadly July 13 Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania has reached a settlement with his employer. https://t.co/ODMKjmklVMpic.twitter.com/9DkMAHcz6B
Stamm sought compensation for his “monetary damages, embarrassment, loss of reputation, and anxiety regarding his and his family’s economic future.”
His settlement with Iron Mountain, which was filed on April 26, doesn’t disclose any details. Stamm’s attorney, Tom King, declined to comment, other than to say that “the matter was settled to the satisfaction of both parties.”
Iron Mountain has not responded to Headline USA’s email seeking comment.
Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
(Headline USA) A federal judge ruled Friday that the former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch is not competent to stand trial on sex trafficking charges and ordered him hospitalized to see if his mental condition improves.
Michael Jeffries’ lawyers sought the ruling last month, writing in a letter filed in a New York federal court that the 80-year-old requires around-the-clock care because he has Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body dementia and the “residual effects of a traumatic brain injury.”
The defense, as well as prosecutors, requested that Jeffries be placed in federal Bureau of Prisons custody so he can be hospitalized and receive treatment that might allow his criminal case to proceed.
“The court finds by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant is presently suffering from a mental disease or defect rendering him mentally incompetent to the extent that he is unable to understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings against him or to assist properly in his defense,” Judge Nusrat Choudhury wrote in his decision.
He directed the Attorney General’s office to place Jeffries in a hospital for up to four months.
Jeffries has been free on $10 million bond since pleading not guilty in October to federal charges of sex trafficking and interstate prostitution.
Prosecutors say he, his romantic partner and a third man used the promise of modeling jobs to lure men to drug-fueled sex parties in New York City, the Hamptons and other locations. The charges announced in October echo sexual misconduct accusations made in a civil case and the media in recent years.
In their letter, Jeffries’ lawyers said at least four medical professionals concluded that their client’s cognitive issues are “progressive and incurable” and that he will not “regain his competency and cannot be restored to competency in the future.”
Jeffries left Abercrombie in 2014 after more than two decades at the helm. His partner, Matthew Smith, has also pleaded not guilty and remains out on bond, as has their co-defendant, James Jacobson.
